First-time
Authors on Governor General Awards 2007 Shortlist
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The Governor General’s Literary
Awards will be announced at a ceremony on Thursday, December 13, 2007, 6
p.m. at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
by Nathaniel G. Moore
For the publisher’s of first-time
poet Rob Winger and first-time novelist David Chariandy,
it's nothing short of a dream come true. They've each been nominated for
the 2007 Governor General's Award.
"David's manuscript came to us
having been recommended by a number of our authors, who were friends of
his," said Brian Lam, publisher of Vancouver-based Arsenal Pulp
Press, who published Chariandy’s first novel Soucouyant, the
story of a son rediscovering the Caribbean heritage he has rejected,
earlier this fall.
Lam continued: "Immediately after
reading it, we knew that we wanted to publish it. We knew that it was
one of the best novels we'd ever published, and the praise and awards
recognition that David is now receiving is well-deserved. As an added
bonus, David is an absolute pleasure to work with--the editorial process
was easy in the sense that we were both on the same page, so to
speak."
 Of
his first book of poetry being nominated, rookie year poet Rob Winger
explained, "Seeing my name on the shortlist was quite an incredible
shock, especially given the other writers who are there too. And though
it might sound clichéd to say so, I’m absolutely thrilled and
honoured to be nominated."
Silas White, publisher at Nightwood was
equally thrilled: "Rob clearly put so much work into this
collection I've actually been afraid to ask him how many years in
total... Muybridge's Horse has been compared to The Collected
Works of Billy the Kid in reviews, which I do think is a fair
comparison stylistically and conceptually---yet in some ways it's more
ambitious."
The collection’s spine centres around
the remarkable life of English-born photographer Eadweard Muybridge
(1830 –1904). The poetry category, like the fiction category, teems
with prestigious entries. In poetry from Lee to Atwood, in fiction from
Gowdy to Ondaatje, it could be suggested that Winger and Chariandy are
underdogs, but deserving of their position in both categories.
Chariandy was long-listed for the
Giller and is fresh from an appearance at the International Festival of
Authors. Lam noted the nominations are also an accomplishment for the
press: "It gives our press more credibility; as a publisher based
in Vancouver, we always to fight a little harder to get noticed by the
publishing powers-that-be in Toronto and elsewhere. But most of all,
we're so happy for David, because he deserves it."
As the country awaits the victors in
each category, and, as the sales for these titles do indeed swell, these
small presses have accomplished something unique, in their achievement,
getting first-time authors on page with such literary giants.
"It is one of those rare books
that makes you feel you've lived a whole other life after reading
it," suggested White. "Books like this only come around every
so often. It was certainly an easy decision to publish it!" |
